“Not
going to comfort your charge’s mate?”
A
single eye cracked open. “Should I? He does not need me to
comfort him, and even if he did, what would I say?”
“Hn.You
may have a point.” Kiara leaned against the wall. “But
are you sure there isn’t another reason you’re leaving
him to Kirihime?”
“I
don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I
think you do. While they couldn’t look more different, the
boya’s personality is strikingly similar to―”
“Do
not go there, Kiara-san,” Kotohime interrupted, her voice
harder than steel and sharper than any blade. “There is no need
to bring up the ghosts of the past.”
Kiara
ran a hand through her unruly mess of hair. “I guess not.”
***
Though
he was no longer pacing, Kevin remained worried. He didn’t
think anyone would blame him. When the hospital had called and told
them that Iris was in the ICU, he’d been shocked. When he was
told that her injuries were severe and that she might be paralysed
from the waist down, he’d been worried. And when he realized
that Lilian was not with her, his mind had nearly gone into a fit. He
didn’t know what was going on, where his mate was, or what had
happened.
“Kevin?”
a voice startled him from his thoughts. He craned his neck to see a
familiar figure walking up to him.
“Lindsay?”
Lindsay
didn’t appear to be in the best shape mentally. Her eyes were
wide and her hair frazzled. If Kevin didn’t know any better, he
would have said that she was in a mild state of shock.
“Kevin,
what’s going on? My mother…”
At
the mention of Mrs. Diane, Kevin’s eyes widened. With all the
worry and anxiety he was feeling about Lilian’s absence and
Iris’s injury, he’d completely forgotten about Lindsay’s
mom.
“What
happened to your mother?”
“She
was in a car accident. The paramedics found her car turned over and
her strapped to the front seat. Dad’s here, too.” She bit
her lower lip, her eyes threatening to water. “Isn’t that
why you’re here, too? I mean, Lilian and Iris—”
Kevin
shook his head. “Iris was attacked by someone, we think.”
“B-but
Iris was with my mom, wasn’t she? She and Lilian were on their
way to my house!”
“I
know, and Lilian is missing. We don’t know where she is.”
“Oh.”
Lindsay’s eyes suddenly softened. “Oh, Kevin. I’m
so sorry.”
Kevin’s
smile was strained. “Don’t be. None of this is your
fault.”
Lindsay
bit her lip. She didn’t look convinced. Kevin decided to change
the subject.
“How’s
your mom?”
“She’s
fine. The doctor said she only has a minor concussion and that she
should be back on her feet in a day or so.”
“That’s
good.”
“Yeah…”
The
door to the operating room opened, interrupting the awkward silence
that followed their conversation. A man wearing a standard white lab
coat and carrying a clipboard walked out of the room. He looked at
the group and gave them all a reassuring smile.
“Ms.
Pnevma is going to be okay. She’ll have to stay the night, but
she’s out of danger.” A collective breath was released.
“It seems she received damage from a stab wound of some kind.
There’s a scar where it impaled her in the back and went
through her abdomen. The wound was cauterized, oddly enough, and no
vital organs were hit. She’ll be fine after a few days of bed
rest.”
“Is
she awake?” asked Kevin.
“She
is. She’s actually requested all of you to join her.” The
doctor frowned for a moment. “I don’t think I need to
tell you this, but Ms. Pnevma is extremely weak right now. She needs
a lot of rest, so try not to stay too long.”
The
group entered the room that Iris had been moved to. Lindsay, at
Kevin’s urging, joined them.
Iris
was laid out on the only bed. The smell of antiseptic filled the
room, sharp and poignant, invading Kevin’s olfactory senses
like a dagger through the nose. He’d never enjoyed that smell
and could only imagine how bad it must have been for the kitsune with
him. They had a much stronger sense of smell than he did.
“You’re
all here.” Iris sounded weak as she reclined on the bed.
“Good.”
“L-Lady
Iris, h-how are you feeling? Do you need any help? Is there anything
I can get for you? Shall I kill something for you?”
Kirihime
was the first to Iris’ side. Camellia would have been second,
but, well…
“Hawa!”
She
tripped.
Even
while injured, Iris still had the good sense to facepalm. “Gods
above, Mom. You’re such a klutz. And you,” she pointed at
Kirihime, “stop worrying.”
“H-hawa…
Iris is so mean.”
“B-but,
Lady Iris, how can you possibly expect me to not worry after seeing
you in this state?”
Iris
rolled her eyes. Kevin walked up to her bedside. Lindsay and Kiara
hung back, while Kotohime remained by Kevin’s left side and
four paces behind him.
“Are
you alright? What happened?”
“Concerned
for me?” Upon hearing that mischievous voice and seeing the
glint in her eyes, Kevin turned his head.
“I’m
only worried because you’re Lilian’s sister.”
“So
you say, but I know you can’t get enough of me.”
“Pfft!
As if… like I could ever…”
“Kevin,”
Iris interrupted, her expression serious, “Lilian’s been
kidnapped.”
***
Lilian
had been kidnapped.
How
could this have happened?
The
words rang out in Kevin’s mind, a hollow sound that filled him
with self-loathing and a sense of failure. He should have been there.
If he had been with her, then…
What
could I have done? She wasn’t kidnapped by a human, but a
kitsune. I… I probably would have been a hindrance.
He
stood outside of Iris’ room, staring at the wall in shock.
According to Iris, one of Jiāoào’s “lapdogs”
had attacked Mrs. Diane’s vehicle, stabbed Iris with some kind
of fire technique, and taken Lilian.
Jiāoào
had kidnapped Lilian. Jiāoào, the kitsune that Kotohime
had warned him about.
What
am I going to do? What am I supposed to do?
Kevin
pressed a hand against the wall, hunching over as he clenched his
eyes shut, fighting against the incertitude that waged war within his
mind.
He
wanted to go. He wanted to rescue Lilian, but—
“How
long are you going to stand there?” a voice said behind him.
“Kiara…”
Kevin
turned around to see Kiara stomp up to him. He didn’t react
when she grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him off his feet.
“Well?”
she asked, her face inches from his own. “How long are you
going to keep moping? Your mate’s in danger! Isn’t it
your duty to go and save her? Don’t you want to rescue her from
this guy?”
“Of
course I do,” Kevin whispered, eyes turning downward, “but
I…”
“But
you what?”
“I’m
just… I’m only human. Every time something bad has
happened, Lilian was always the one who saved me. Whenever I was in
trouble, she would come to my rescue. It’s pathetic, really.
I’m so weak and helpless. How could I possibly rescue Lilian
when I can’t even rescue myself?”
“You…”
Kiara seemed shocked, but she quickly hardened her glare to finely
honed points. “Listen here, brat! I didn’t train a weak
little fool who would get frightened at the first sign of trouble! If
I didn’t think you had a fighting chance against the people who
would do you harm, then I would never have trained you in the first
place. You should be more than a match for some brat with a chip on
his shoulder.”
“B-but
Jiāoào is a kitsune—”
“I
don’t care what he is! Everybody has a weakness, even
kitsune—especially kitsune. You have training, but what does he
have? A couple illusions at most. There’s no way someone I
trained would ever be defeated by someone like that.”
“B-but
I’ve been barely training for a month.”
“And
he likely hasn’t trained at all,” Kiara countered. “Now…”
Kiara
dragged Kevin so close their noses were touching.
“…
are
you going to rescue Lilian, or am I gonna have to beat you for being
a coward?”
Kevin
stared into Kiara’s eyes, his mind searching for answers. Could
he really defeat Jiāoào? Could he really beat a yōkai,
a creature so far beyond him in power that it was almost ridiculous?
Does
it even matter?
Kevin
asked himself.
Why
should it matter if he’s a yōkai and I’m a human? He
kidnapped Lilian. He stole my… my mate from me. Am I just
going to let that slide?
Kevin
felt his resolve become like steel. He raised his eyes to gaze at
Kiara, whose lips curled into a smirk.
“I
take it you’ve made up your mind?”
Kevin
didn’t answer with words.
He
just smirked back.
***
Kevin
entered the room much more calmly than when he walked out.
“Are
you doing okay, Kevin?” Lindsay asked.
“Yeah,”
Kevin smiled at her, “I’m fine. I just needed someone to
talk some sense into me.”
Kiara
snorted, which made him turn slightly to glare at her. He then sighed
when the woman just grinned back, and turned to look at Iris.
She
still lay on the bed, looking like she’d been trampled by a
stampede of Pokemon, but a smirk twisted her lips and a light entered
her eyes.
“So,
I take it you’ve decided to rescue my Lily-pad?”
“Your
Lily-pad?” Kevin raised an eyebrow. “You mean my mate,
right?”
“Hmph.”
Had Iris not been bedridden, Kevin had the distinct impression that
she would have crossed her arms. “You’re only a temporary
replacement. No one but myself will ever be truly worthy of her.”
“There
is something seriously wrong with a girl saying that about her own
sister,” Kevin mused.
“Whatever.”
Iris became dead serious, which caused him to become serious in turn.
“Listen to me, Kevin. You have to rescue Lilian. Jiāoào,
he’s… he’s not a good person. He’s the worst
kind of scum you can possibly think of, and he’s been obsessed
with Lilian ever since they first met. I mean, I’ve always had
a thing for my sister, but he’s
really
obsessed.”
Kevin
made a face. “At least you’re willing to admit that
you’re obsessed with Lilian, though it’s kinda disturbing
to actually hear you say it.”
“Yeah,
yeah, I love my sister more than I should. Now get the fuck out of
here and go rescue her already.” Her eyes gleamed like twin
bloody moons as she gazed at him. “If you manage to save her
before that dickwad steals her chastity, I’ll give you a pair
of my panties.”
“Oh,
shut up,” Kevin snapped. “You don’t even wear
panties!”
Lindsay’s
cheeks blushed bright red at the words. She quickly pinched her nose
to keep the blood from escaping.
“Ah,
right. I forgot.” Iris paused before grinning again. “In
that case, I’ll give you a pair of Lilian’s panties.”
“There
are so many things I could say to that, but I won’t. Do you
know where Lilian is?”
Iris
looked grim as she shook her head. “No. Sorry.”
“I
see.” The knuckles of Kevin’s left hand turned white as
he clenched it into a fist.
“Do
not worry, Kevin-sama.” Kotohime placed a reassuring hand on
his shoulder. “I know how we can find Lilian-sama.”
***
Juan
was just about to sit down on his psychedelic couch when the door to
his apartment exploded, showering wood chips and fragments across his
abode. A figure darted into the room. He barely had time to blink
before he was slammed against the wall, and an unsheathed katana was
pressed against his neck.
“Kotohime,”
despite having the sharp end of a katana caressing his jugular, Juan
did not appear the least bit worried, “it seems you have
forgotten what I told you the last time you visited.”
“No,
I remember.” The blade was pressed more firmly against Juan’s
neck. “I just don’t care. I know that Jiāoào
discovered Lilian-sama was staying in Phoenix because you told him.”
Juan
would have shrugged, but he feared that even the slightest movement
would cause the katana’s edge to slit his throat. “Jiāoào
offered a large reward for any information on Lilian’s
whereabouts. It was an offer I could not refuse.”
“Where
is he?” Kotohime’s eyes narrowed. The air grew heavier.
Kevin, who’d entered behind the woman, felt a chill run down
his spine. “Where is Jiāoào? Where is he keeping
Lilian-sama?”
“And
why should I tell you that?” asked a defiant Juan. “What
can you offer me that would be worth my while?”
“Your
life.”
“Ha…”
Juan sighed. “It seems that you still do not understand―”
“No,”
Kotohime’s voice was cold enough to freeze over hell. “You
are the one who doesn’t understand. Lilian-sama is my charge. I
have been tasked with her protection, and anyone trying to obstruct
my ability to protect her is an obstacle that must be eliminated.
You, Valsiener-san,
have become an obstacle.”
“I
thought I told you, my name is―” The katana caressed his
jugular. A trickle of blood ran down his neck. It was only now, as he
stared into Kotohime’s eyes, that he realized she really would
kill him. “Very well, I will tell you where Jiāoào
is currently staying.”
“And
Lilian-sama?”
“She
will be with Jiāoào.”
“Give
me the location.”
Juan,
or Valsiener,
as Kotohime called him, gave the kimono-clad femme Jiāoào’s
location.
“I
hope you know this transgression will not go unpunished,” Juan
said after the threat of death by katana had passed.
“If
you wish to go up against one of the Thirteen Great Kitsune Clans,
then be my guest,” Kotohime stared coldly at him. “Your
benefactors will not care what I do to you, so long as you remain
alive and are able to give them the information they seek. They will
not go up against a Great Clan. Not for you.”